Making friends at uni can feel daunting. If you’re in halls, you are literally forced to interact with the same people everyday, so you might as well take advantage of it. Unless you want to pull alternating shifts in the kitchen for a year, it’s probably in your best interest to get along with them. Here are ten low-commitment (and cheap) ideas for activities that you can do with your flatmates!
1. Make door signs
I love a bit of arts and crafts. In my first year, I made door signs with my flatmates mainly out of flyers from freshers. All you really need is a glue stick and some paper, and you can all chip in for some snacks as well. I ended up being super happy with mine and I put it on my door again this year! Maybe learn from me and don’t include an article about political misconduct by accident though.
2. Bake something together
This one is a classic. You can choose a recipe as easy or as difficult as you like, and you probably can pile together most of the ingredients from things already lying around in the cupboard. Last year, me and some friends opted to do galentines together. We ended up making delicious chocolate chip cookies using a super simple recipe. But, even if they’re a disaster, you’ll have a good time. If you’re lucky they might even be edible.
3. Board games night
Board games are the perfect activity for any group of people. There’s infinite choice and you can pick games specifically to suit your flatmates. Even with just a pack of cards there’s so much versatility. I really recommend skull and coup as strategy games that are easy to pick up but really rewarding. I actually have made these (and others) out of paper so it can be a cheap choice! The picture above is of skull and I literally made the cards in ten minutes. If you want to flesh this out a bit, you could even go to a a local board game cafe where you can try a wide variety of games without having to actually own them.
4. Movie night
Movie night is the ultimate lazy choice. There’s no pressure to really talk to each other and you can order food in to make a night of it. I like picking something a bit casual that you can talk over if you want to. My housemates and I just watched Monster House for halloween and we spent the whole time laughing at the frankly disturbing animation. You could also watch a reality tv series together to have it be a reoccurring commitment—I’ve been dipping in and out of Celebrity Traitors with my flatmates and it’s a nice excuse to catch up regularly.
5. Flat Christmas dinner
If you’re in the mood for something festive, I would definitely recommend the tried-and-tested uni student tradition of a flat Christmas dinner. You can assign each person a different part of the dinner according to how comfortable you feel with cooking or let one person go wild whilst everyone else is sentenced to dish-washing. It’s also worth checking out if your city has a good winter wonderland to really get into the Christmassy mood. If Christmas isn’t your thing, you don’t celebrate, or maybe it’s mid July when you’re reading this, you could also make dishes for each other Come Dine With Me style (cut-throat competition optional).
6. Study evening
Feeling overwhelmed with uni work? Why not try having a study meet-up with your flatmates where you all talk about what you want to get done so you can hold each other responsible. You might be able to get some fresh advice on something that’s been bugging you or potentially just learn something interesting you wouldn’t have known about otherwise. If there’s deadlines coming up, this idea can actually keep you on track as well as keeping you social. Sometimes the break in routine can feel like a breath of fresh air.
7. Pen-and-paper roleplaying games
This one might be a bit niche, but it would be remiss for me not to mention table top roleplaying games (TTRPGs). You might have heard of Dungeons and Dragons, a dice-heavy roleplaying game typically based in a fantastical mediaeval setting. If you’re looking for a TTRPG that feels a bit more approachable, I would highly recommend Call of Cthulhu as a fairly rules-light system that’s easy to pick up. I’ve written several campaigns (essentially stories) for my friends but it doesn’t necessitate a lot of planning effort. It’s really the interactions you get with each other that makes it worth it, and you’ll probably find yourself talking about campaigns even way after they finish.
8. Paint and sip
If you’re a bit more artistically inclined (though not compulsory) you might enjoy a paint and sip. The idea is that you all have a mini canvas and you can chat over some drinks. Watercolor paints are usually quite cheap and I like to pair it with wine as the drink of choice. You could try something like drawing portraits of your flatmates, or maybe you all try and paint something based on a theme. It’s always a good time and if it doesn’t turn out perfect honestly it’s part of the fun. Like with the door sign, you also have a new piece of decor for your room at the end!
9. Karaoke night
Why bother going out for karaoke when you can do it at home? This might be one for a little further into the year when you feel more comfortable with each other, but it’s so worthwhile when everyone commits. I think it works better if you pick songs with multiple singers (shameless musical theatre plug) because you can bounce off each other and it takes the pressure off of singing alone. I wouldn’t pick this one if you have thin walls and neighbors that value peace and quiet though.
10. Powerpoint night
Last but certainly not least, powerpoint evening is maybe my top pick on this list. the idea is that you each come up with a powerpoint and present it to each other. It can be informational, a quiz, a tier list or really anything you want. When I did this, I made a powerpoint on my favourite band and the story they were telling in time for the next narrative album (see above). I really like this one because the little bit of preparation pays off, and it’s so lovely to see what people are passionate about. You are bound to be entertained and it’s a great way to learn more about your flatmates.
If after everything you still don’t get on with the people you’re living with, or it feels like they’re being purposeful spiteful to you it can be frustrating. You can read our advice on if you don’t like your flatmates for some ideas.